What Happens In Brazil
by forbescsalvatore
Summary: Paul and Candice head to Brazil together for a fan convention, and in the span of four days go through up's and down's that challenge their relationship and make them question everything they thought they knew about themselves and each other. A Wescola fanfic.
1. Shock To The System

**What Happens In Brazil**

 _Chapter One: Shock To The System_

* * *

Candice huffed a stressed sigh as she lounged out on the nearest seat by the window overlooking the tarmac of JFK airport. They were scheduled to take off at noon, heading to Brazil for the weekend for the Vampire Attraction convention. She had her bags packed, the itinerary was set, her outfits chosen. Everything was going according to plan, except for that delicious thorn in her side who was conveniently not answering his phone.

Candice _really_ didn't like it when things weren't going as planned. It was a trait of hers she'd always been teased about, and she knew full well it was very much a similarity she shared with her counterpart, Caroline Forbes, er, Salvatore. She couldn't help it. If he didn't show up, she would have to take the ten hour flight without him, and for some strange reason that thought filled her with an abnormally large amount of disappointment that was surely driving her irritability full force.

She took another slow sip of her wine and looked down at her phone again, smiling at the picture of her daughter, Florence. She was looking up at the camera with big curious eyes, little chubby arms in the air, snuggled into warm, purple fleece. It hadn't even been a day yet and she already missed her. Just then a robotic, female voice called over the speaker's that they were now beginning to board first class. _Goddammit, Paul._

Candice stood up slowly and began to make her way towards the gate, looking over her shoulder anxiously as she waited a beat. There was the sound of hurried footsteps and excitable movement. She knew who it was without even needing to lay eyes on him. "I'm here, I'm here." She looked up to see Paul rounding the corner. Breathlessly panting, bag casually slung across his shoulder, cap on backwards, ticket in his hand. As always he had this infuriating way of just looking effortlessly beautiful.

He looked at her and her heart nearly did a double take, and she couldn't put her finger on exactly why. They hadn't seen each other in nearly three months since they wrapped filming the finale. A few text messages had been exchanged and one or two phone calls where she had basically grilled him on what kinds of things he'd like to do in Brazil. He hadn't been much help for those, but she didn't expected him to be. Truthfully it had just been an excuse to hear his voice on the other line. That and she had been… well, okay, she had been a bit concerned. She had learned he had broken up with Phoebe after Christmas and worried that he wasn't holding up, especially once they were finished with work.

She found herself constantly wondering if he was taking care of himself, eating proper meals, if he was lonely, what he was doing on any particular evening. Part of her knew it wasn't her place to care, but he was her friend, and she just wanted him to be happy. At least that's what she kept telling herself. But then she learned a few weeks ago that him and Phoebe were working on patching up their relationship - _again_ \- and she had sort of stopped with the phone call's. Not after an awkward last call between them:

* * *

"So I was thinking that when we land, we should check in to the hotel and drop off our things. Then we can get settled, get changed, and I found this great bike rental place where we-"

"Sorry, just one sec." There was shuffling on the other side of the line, and she heard a rich, velvet accent in the background, followed by Paul's response. "It's just Candice. She's telling me about-" The rest she couldn't make out. A few seconds later he returned.

"Sorry Candice, can I call you back later?"

"Yeah, sure, don't even worry about it."

"Thanks."

After that he sent her a quick apology text and an explanation: "Phoebe and I are trying again."

* * *

Fast forward to a few weeks later and here he was, looking pretty much the way she had last seen him aside from the scruffy beard he was sporting. She had to admit she liked the look. It made him seem older; more mature. He was different, yet somehow still just the same old Paul as she always knew and loved.

"Wow, you made it." Candice teased, and he smiled and expelled a sigh of relief.  
"Sorry, I got caught up at security. And then some fan's wanted photo's, and you know how I have a hard time saying no.."

She did. In particular to a certain someone in his life who's name started with a P.

"Well, you made it!" She repeated, and a bright smile emerged on her face, opening her arms up to give him a hug. "It's good to see you." He pulled her into his arms in the middle of the moving line and dipped his head near her neck, his nose brushing just beneath her ear where she was dead sure he could probably smell her perfume. She felt her body shiver as she felt the familiar warmth and safety of his presence wash through her like a soft breeze.

Pulling away to look at her, he smiled. "You too." They were shuffled forward and Paul put his hand against her back to urge her ahead first to the ticket booth where she then waited for him to be checked. Once through, they walked down the shuttle together side by side. She couldn't keep herself from grinning and casting him side-long smirks. Her blood heated when she realized he was doing the exact same.

"So Brazil, huh? You excited?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. I've been needing this vacation for awhile."

"Same."

More silence between them, but it didn't feel empty. By the time they reached the plane they busied themselves with storing their carry ons and getting seated. As always, he let her have the window seat and she couldn't help but smile at that.

"You know if you ever actually wanted the window, I'd give it to you."

"Nah, I'm good. I have all the view I need right here." She was sure he was just being his usual witty self, but the unintended meaning behind that statement hit them around the exact same time. "Um, you know what I mean." She didn't.

She watched as he peeled off his jacket and got comfortable, the musky amber scent of him suddenly surrounding her. Candice turned away and pulled out the latest book she'd been reading, fiddling with the bookmark. She caught his brows furrowing. "What, going to tune me out just like that?" He gestured with his hand for her to open up. "Tell me what I've missed. Fill me in on our itinerary." It didn't take long for him to convince her. Before long she was pulling out all the print outs and showing him the bookings, the address's. She would need his help to find some of these locations, and he took them in his lap to pore over them carefully with a studious expression, the tip of his tongue poking out in concentration.

"You know we're only here for four days, right?" He joked with a teasing chuckle.

"And two of them are already planned."

"I know, but I thought we should make the most of our time. I want to do more than just get a sun tan."

"Right, no, me too." He nodded in agreement then offered her a tender, assuring smile. "We'll try to do it all."

* * *

By the time they were finished talking about the trip and catching up, they had been in the air for five hours. She was beginning to feel herself drift off, a side effect from all the wine and air pressure. Paul had pulled out his mac book and was surfing the net, catching up on news and twitter. Sometimes he would nudge her to read something to her he thought was particularly fascinating or hilarious, to which she replied with a sleepy smile of acknowledgment. She finally fell asleep to the sound of him typing.

Candice woke without opening her eyes, the sound of the plane engine thudding through her aching temple. She must have developed a headache while she was passed out. She remembered then where she was and where she was going, an excited smile pulling at the corners of her lips. _Rio, Brazil._

The sound of someone exhaling above made her freeze. That's when she remembered who she was with, and suddenly she had to question where her head was resting. Splitting her eyes open a bit, she took in her surroundings. The first class section was eerily quiet. Paul had stashed away his computer in his bag under the seat in front of him. She heard him breathe and she inhaled slowly. He was right there above her. She had fallen asleep - she realized - with her head on his shoulder. And he in return now had his cheek pressed against her hair. The close proximity made her catch a breath. Part of her wanted to stay like this because it felt only natural and right. But the responsible part of her knew she had to put an end to it, so she slowly extracted herself away from him, watching as he tilted his head the other way, mouth falling open. She couldn't help but smile to herself at the sight of him like that with his guard down. It was definitely a rare sight.

She pressed the heel of her palm to her forehead and leaned down to pull out the bottle of tylenol in her purse. With what remained of her wine, she washed it down, and stood up to make her way to the bathroom. That was when the floor trembled beneath her feet and the plane lurched in a sudden burst of turbulence. Candice felt herself losing grip of her footing, and before she knew it she was tumbling backwards - _no, no, please god, no -_ straight into Paul's lap with a dizzying impact.

His eyes flew open as he startled awake in shock. "What the -?"

Her body jerked, trying to escape. But the awkward moment had already come to fruition as the plane did another funny lurch that had the side of the plane dip, causing a couple bags to slide towards the aisle. She felt his bicep instinctively close around her middle to keep her from falling and for a few moments of utter terror she was convinced she was going to die, eyelids clamped shut with her face pressed against his shirt. After a couple moments that felt like an eternity the plane righted itself again and the pilot's voice came on the intercom to apologize. Only the sound of the chuckle over her head made her finally open her eyes, turning to look at the smirk on his face.

"Are you… are you _laughing_ at me?"

"Just a bit."

She smacked him, fighting to remove herself from his lap, but his arm only held her tighter to his chest. "Are you sure you can handle it?" He goaded her playfully. "What if we go through another big cloud? Maybe I should just carry you."

She could feel her face burning. "Paul, let me go!"

In that exact moment a flight attendant strolled by to check on the passenger's. Paul looked up at her with an innocent smile as the blonde continued to wiggle in his lap for her freedom. "We're fine. All good here." He quipped, and she chose that moment to wedge her fingers into his sides and place pressure. One of the perks of spending so much time with someone for eight years was you began to know them inside and out, including the places they were most ticklish.

"Nononono," he started to say, trying to stop her but then his chest heaved and he dissolved into fits of laughter as he yelled out, and she managed to free herself from his grip. Candice huffed and straightened her golden locks, turning to hide how flushed her cheeks were. She quickly hurried off to the bathroom and locked herself inside. Looking into the tiny mirror, she felt her body shaking. Either from the shock of the disturbance or what had just happened, she couldn't be sure, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. Either way her veins were buzzing with adrenaline, and she needed to calm down.

It was just Paul. They always joked and exchanged banter. But that… that had felt….

She turned on the tap and spritzed her face with cool water and took a few deep breath's to ground herself. After a minute, she opened the door and returned down the aisle, avoiding his eyes when he stood to let her pass in to her seat.

"You okay?" He sounded different. More serious this time; more concerned.

"I'm fine."

He tilted his head to try to catch her eye. "You don't look fine."

"I just have a headache, and I want to be on solid ground." She didn't mean for her voice to sound quite so stiff.

She could tell he seemed slightly disappointed. Well, what had he been expecting?

"Okay, fair enough."

She felt for the seat belt and firmly snapped it into place around her waist, as if somehow this would save her. She could feel his eyes on her for a long beat from her peripheral vision, and then it was gone, turned down to his phone dejectedly. Candice rested her head against the back of the seat after fishing out her face mask to block out the light, and, well, _him_.

This was going to be a long weekend.


	2. Follow The Sun

**What Happens In Brazil**

 _Chapter Two: I'll Follow The Sun_

* * *

Once they landed and collected their luggage they headed straight to the hotel. Paul didn't know exactly what to think about the remaining silence between him and Candice on the last stretch of the flight. He'd been trying to catch her eye to make sure they were still cool, but so far no luck. So when they arrived at the airport, he took the lead following the cab driver's to the parked car outside awaiting them.

He was greeted by a burst of sunlight that made him fumble for his sunglasses as well as the odd camera phone pointed in his direction. He helped the man to put his suitcase in the back before crawling into the back seat, looking out as Candice followed suit and came to join him.

They made conversation with the driver together, looking out at the sights and the people of Rio. It was still one of his favorite places to visit and the view never got old now matter _how_ many times he came. Since he was sitting on the side where the beach was, he could sense that Candice was looking towards him.

"Nice, isn't it?" He asked casually, hoping to get her to finally open back up.

"It would be nicer if your big head wasn't in the way."

His mouth broke into a smile, the cab driver laughed, and Candice couldn't keep a straight face anymore as her lips twitched at the corner. It seemed there had been a thaw between them.

"This is why we make such a great team" he told the man conversationally, leaning forward while motioning towards Candice. "She insults me and keeps me in line."

"How long have you been together?"

The question threw him off entirely, and for a moment Paul was stunned speechless. A rarity, by his standards. Thankfully Candice was cool headed enough to answer first.

"Oh, we're not. I have a husband."

"- yeah, we're not - we work together. Or did. We're just friends."

The driver looked embarrassed. "So sorry, I shouldn't have assumed. I pick up a lot of couple's from the airport. It's a popular honeymoon destination, here."

"No worries. Easy mistake." Paul said automatically with a wave of his hand to put him at ease, until Candice sent him an affronted look. Oh for the love of everything, he couldn't get _anything_ right today, could he? Foot in mouth syndrome. _Shut up, Paul._ Looking back at Candice he shot her a helpless look and mouthed, "What am I supposed to say?" She sighed and rubbed her hand over her eyes.

"I mean…" Here he went, opening his mouth to try to fix this. By Candice's expression, she looked terrified of what he might say next. "Not really _easy_ , but given your experience and statistic's, I'm sure it was a conclusion that made sense. To _you_."

There. Fixed.

Now get him out of this car before she killed him.

* * *

It was only a ten minute drive to the hotel. Paul and Candice were dropped off right at the front door. "I got it, don't worry about it." Paul said to the man pulling out their luggage. That was until he saw just how big her suitcase actually was.

"Candice, how much did you pack!?" He suddenly exclaimed, part incredulous but also just a little bit admiring.

Hearing her name, Candice turned to face him and came over once she realized what he was talking about. "Oh no, you do not get to judge me, Mr. Paws off my stuff."

"I'm just saying… that's a _big_ suitcase. Are you hiding something in there? Did you pack Joe too?"

She hoisted out the handle with a fierceness that made him wonder if she intended to beat him with it.

Paul put his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay. You know what… forget I said anything. Here, give it to me." She very hesitantly allowed him to prop his own much smaller suitcase on top of hers before rolling them both into the lobby.

"There you two are! Took you long enough!"

Paul was almost relieved to see Daniel Gillies waiting for them at the front desk, casually leaning against the counter while predictably charming the receptionist.

"I have been missing you!" Daniel said as the two friends embraced. "It's good to finally be reunited as long lost lover's always should." He teased as they always did before turning to greet Candice with a big hug. "It's good to see you again, Candice. It's been so long. How's the little one doing?"

Paul bit his lip as she began to talk about Florence, forgetting where he was for a moment as she talked excitedly about the new foods Flo was trying now and the story he had heard her tell a hundred times of how her and Joe had thought they had lost her and panicked before realizing the one year old had simply hidden herself playing in a pile of laundry. He always loved watching her talk about her daughter because it brought a softness out of her and a brightness he sometimes envied. There was just something about it, and he could probably watch her go on about that topic for days and not get bored, basking in her glow of happiness.

He could use a little bit of that sunshine for himself .

Turning away from them he approached the woman behind the desk who handed him two keys for the rooms. "Wait, there's three of us. I thought there were three rooms booked."

Apparently there had been some kind of mistake and only two were currently available. The staff were apologetic, but sure the reservations had been booked according to what they were told. Paul sighed in frustration, walking back over to the other two.

"So we have two rooms between the three of us."

"What?"

"Seriously?!"

"Which means…" He continued. "Two have to share."

Daniel shook his head. "No way. I've been looking forward to sleeping naked in freshly laundered Egyptian bed sheets for months now."

"Bad, _bad_ images I did not need to have in my mind, Daniel!" Candice exclaimed, covering her eyes in disbelief. "Well I can't share with Paul." She said, looking up at him and Paul felt his stomach do a funny somersault just from the mere fact she was even _thinking_ about what it would be like to share a room with him.

A whole room with a bed and a shower and a nice view.

"Why not?" Daniel teased. "Would that be weird?"

 _"Yes-"_ She said vehemently just as Paul shrugged and said at the same time, "No."

"Relax," Daniel said laughing, slinging an arm around Paul's shoulders and pulling him into him. Apparently he hadn't heard the totally stupid thing he had said under Candice's outrage, _thank god._ But one look in her eyes told him that _she_ had. "It's nothing Paul hasn't seen before. We'll let the lady have her own room."

Paul didn't know if he was more relieved or honestly disappointed.

"Okay, let's go drop off our stuff then and stop standing around here where the fans will find us." Paul suggested, just ready to remove himself from the awkwardness and get back to normalcy. "And just so we're clear" he added to Daniel as they all huddled around the base of an elevator, waiting for it to open for them. "I'm sleeping on the couch, and _you are keeping your clothes on."_

* * *

Candice was collapsed in her king sized bed, allowing the wash of the AC to cool her off as she closed her eyes, enjoying a short power nap from the day of traveling. She was so thankful she got to keep her room to herself. Not that she ever _really_ doubted that they would make her room with Paul, no matter how eager he had seemed to make the "sacrifice."

Honestly, she didn't know what to do with him anymore. Even just the fact that he was on the other side of the wall right now felt like he was too close. Too close to what, she didn't know. But he was simply _too close._

All she could hear was the occasional burst of laughter from behind the wall as the boy's got situated and joked around like five year old's. Somehow she was able to tune them out and focus on the sound of the air flow until there was the sound of a door slam and a loud, obnoxious knock.

Candice cringed before sitting up and opening it. It was Paul and Daniel.

"So we're going to head downstairs and check out the game room if yo-"

She put a hand up to stop them. "Hold on. Let me get this straight." She said, beginning to tick off her fingers as she spoke. "We're here, in Brazil, it's a _gorgeous_ day outside, and the first thing you two want to do is go check out the game room."

"And the bar." Daniel supplied unhelpfully.

"Yeah, and the bar," Paul added with an impish grin.

She gave him an exasperated look, and he spent a moment trying to figure out why exactly she was looking at him like that with a quizzical expression before she turned and marched back to her bag. Pulling out her notes, she marched straight back over to them and tapped the paper right under Paul's nose.

"We have plans. We're going to the beach. There is a bike rental place not far from it, and we are going to all go down there and enjoy the sight's and the warm sunshine. We can go to the bar and play games after the sun goes down."

 _"Ohhhh_ , right." Paul said, slapping his forehead dramatically. Turning to a confused Daniel, he nodded. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you, but we have an _itinerar_ y. Candice owns our soul this weekend."

"Does she, now? Sounds kind of kinky."

 _"Hey!"_ She exclaimed, whacking Paul with her notebook. "It's not my fault you don't take the initiative to check out what there is to do around here, or that you're perfectly content to do _nothing._ "

Daniel pointed a finger at her. "Drinking is _not_ nothing."

Candice shook her head. "Go get changed. Both of you. Pack a towel and sunscreen. That's an order."

She began to close the door in their faces as Paul saluted her.

"Sure is bossier than I remember." She heard Daniel say as she closed the door behind her. She couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.

"She's fine. And you know what? She's probably right. It'll be fun."

Well at least he'd finally said _something_ right.


End file.
